


Along The Way

by phasha18



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Anxiety Attacks, Banshees, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Derek Hale is Missing, Derek Hale is Stiles Stilinski's Anchor, Derek's Past, Emotionally Hurt Stiles Stilinski, F/M, Humans have anchors too, Hurt Derek Hale, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Memories, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Sheriff Stilinski Knows About Werewolves, Soulmates, Stiles Stilinski Has Panic Attacks, Stiles Stilinski Has a Sister, Werewolf Hunters, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2020-10-06 09:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20504498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phasha18/pseuds/phasha18
Summary: Sheriff Stilinski has known about the werewolves in Beacon Hills for longer than he lets on. His daughter Caitlyn is a born wolf, her mother was a part of the Hale pack before she died.When Derek goes missing, everyone thinks that Caitlyn doesn't need to know about it when she already does."We can't tell her, Stiles you can't!" Lydia exclaimed wrapping her arms around Stiles to try and stop him from moving.





	1. More Than Words

**Author's Note:**

> Yes this is yet another story, I have another couple in the works.
> 
> ALL of my current stories are being worked on every day, you know how it is when you get in the creative mood.

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own any of the characters from Teen Wolf they belong to their creator. I own Caitlyn Stilinski, Naomi Bryant and anything/anyone else you don't recognise._

* * *

**Along The Way**

  
**Chapter 01:** _More Than Words_

  
Christmas Eve 1987, Noah Stilinski sat in the waiting room of Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital's maternity ward, his wife Kathleen had been rushed in for an emergency caesarean section (c-section) as something had gone wrong and their unborn baby girl wasn't getting enough oxygen. Noah hadn't known what else to do but to call Talia Hale, who was also pregnant at the time, what he didn't know was that she had gone into labour that same day with her son, Derek. Noah had contacted the Hales because Kathleen was good friends with them, Kathleen was slightly older than Noah's 23 years. Kathleen died when Caitlyn was three months old from a rogue werewolf attack. What Noah didn't know was that his wife had been a werewolf by birth and a part of the Hale Pack.

Talia and her pack helped raise Caitlyn until Noah met Claudia Gajos sometime in the early 1990's. Claudia took Caitlyn in as her own daughter and adopted her before she and Noah had Stiles in 1994. Caitlyn was still friends with the Hales and spent the three days leading up to full moons with the Hales after it was discovered at the age of four that she was a born wolf.

“Talia, would you be able to look after Caitlyn? I've just been called back into action,” Noah explained almost a year after Caitlyn had been born as he held her in his arms her little head resting against his shoulder.

“Of course, you know you're both always welcome here,” Talia smiled at him as she held her infant son Derek on her hip he was almost mimicking the actions of Caitlyn. “How long for?”

“Six months and then I'm leaving,” Noah stated, he couldn't leave his little girl without both of her parents that just wasn't something that he was willing to do. Talia nodded having been listening to his heartbeat as he spoke.

“Noah?” Talia questioned, readjusting Derek on her hip as he started to squirm and reach for Caitlyn who was doing the same thing.

“Leaving the army, not Beacon Hills,” Noah clarified as he set Caitlyn on the ground by his feet. The toddler pulling herself up on his pant leg and reaching for Talia.

“Come here sweetie,” Talia crouched down nodding to Noah who guided his daughter to her watching as the two toddlers reached for each other before Talia scooped her up. “When do you leave?”

“Two days,”

Sixteen months later in September 1991, Noah met Claudia while attending Beacon Hills Community College. Caitlyn was spending more time playing with Derek and his older sister Laura at Hale House. By her fourth birthday Caitlyn was calling Claudia mommy as Noah they had gotten married.

“Mommy,” Caitlyn giggled holding her hands up as she sat on her fathers lap before innocently turning around and throwing her arms around Noah. “Daddy,”

“Baby girl, you're going to go play with the Hales again today,” Noah smiled at her before kissing the top of her head.

“Derek!” Caitlyn giggled again, before she gave Noah a slobbery kiss and jumped off his lap and raced for the front door. “Derek!” she pointed at the door causing Noah and Claudia to look at one another. “Door daddy, mommy, Derek!” a minute later and they heard knocking at the door.

“Mommy, Cait!” Derek's voice was heard on the opposite side of the door.

Noah stood from where he'd been sitting as Claudia went and opened the front door to reveal Talia holding both Derek and Laura's hands. Derek jumping excitedly at the door waiting to say hello to Caitlyn. Caitlyn tugged on Noah's hand and pointed at Derek.

“See daddy. It's Derek,” Caitlyn said looking directly at Noah and then at Derek and smiling at him. Derek gave her a toothy grin and looked up his mother.

“Noah?” Talia questioned, raising her left eyebrow at him as she spoke and they both watched as Caitlyn pushed open the screen door.

“I don't know how. But she knew Derek was coming and we didn't say anything to her,” Noah explained glancing down as Derek and Caitlyn wrapped each other in giant hugs. “For the last few minutes she's been telling us 'Derek' and pointing at the front door,”

“I think it's time we had a little chat about Kathleen,”

That was the day that Noah learned that werewolves existed in Beacon Hills County, that his first wife Kathleen had been a born wolf and a beta in the Hale Pack. Werewolf children didn't general present until just before their fourth birthdays and with Derek and Caitlyn's birthdays just around the corner two were showing signs. For the years that followed Noah ignored the signs of the supernatural creatures, he had to as long as his daughter and her pack were safe.

By April 1994, Noah and Claudia were welcoming a new child into their lives, Mieczyslaw Stilinski better known as Mischief and Stiles. That same year Talia and her family welcomed another child, a daughter Cora. Both Derek and Caitlyn had been excited for the new arrivals in their families. What the two children didn't know was that when they had made the initial contact as babies that they had become soul mates and mates something that was considered rare for werewolves so young.

“Daddy, can I go play with Derek now?” Caitlyn asked bouncing up and down in the lounge room of their house as she watched her baby brother sleeping in Noah's arms.

“Soon, Caitlyn. You know you have to wait until Talia arrives,” Noah answered, his six year old daughter could be very impatient when it came to her best-friend.

“Mommy, can I have a cookie while we wait?” Caitlyn turned to Claudia who had just walked from the kitchen holding a freshly baked plate of cookies.

“Only one,” Claudia smiled at her holding the plate down at Caitlyn's level as the small girl reached for a cookie and grabbed hold of it excitedly.

“Thank you mommy,” Caitlyn grinned, before she shoved the cookie in her mouth and went back to staring at her baby brother.

“She loves you, you know that,” Noah said looking up at Claudia as she sat beside him placing the plate of cookies on the coffee table in front of them. Claudia smiled at him in response before both of them were watching their infant son sleep.

Over the course of the next seventeen years a lot of things changed for both Caitlyn and Derek. Derek's eyes changed from golden to blue when he was forced to make one of his most heartbreaking decisions over girlfriend Paige in 2003. The following year in 2004 Caitlyn, Noah and Stiles faced the loss of Claudia. Stiles was alone with her while Noah was on duty at the Beacon Hills County Sheriff's department and Caitlyn was with Derek. The night of the Hale House fire in January 2005, Caitlyn was again with Derek and his sister Laura at the High School, Stiles was playing with Scott.

Derek and Laura moved to New York soon after their family was killed in the fire, Caitlyn visiting them as often as she could – with them paying for her to visit as she was pack, she was family. Caitlyn stayed in Beacon Hills for a year to see Peter, for Derek though the older wolf tended to creep her our slightly.

“Stiles, let go of me,” Caitlyn sighed crouching down in front of her twelve year old little brother. “I promise I'll come back and visit. It's only a year,”

“But you said...” Stiles trailed off as he started to panic and grasped at his chest before he found himself being wrapped in Caitlyn's arms.

“It's okay. I promise I'm only a phone call away too,” Caitlyn told him as she stood up and picked Stiles up at the same time. “And you know I'll be here for Christmas and my birthday,”

Stiles shook his head before Caitlyn had him start doing an exercise that they had worked out worked only with her. Stiles mumbled into her shoulder as Caitlyn moved them to the couch, sitting down and pulling him into her lap. They were still sitting like that when Noah arrived home from work that afternoon.

“Stiles, it's okay to be scared. You know she'll be home whenever you need her,” Noah said as he set his keys in the bowl beside the door and took off his jacket tossing it on the back of couch.

“He knows pop,” Caitlyn smiled at him as she kissed the side of Stiles head before Noah sat down beside the two of them. “Sti, I promise I'll call you every night,”

“Promise?” Stiles questioned in between ragged breaths as Caitlyn continued to hug him.

“I promise,” Caitlyn replied hugging Stiles again before he started to mumble about things that he could see, hear, taste, smell and touch. “Keep going,”

Four days later, Caitlyn was greeted at the train station by Derek and Laura. Laura and Derek had told her that they'd help with whatever she needed while she was there, they just had to be close to her. The first thing that Derek did was wrap his arms tightly around Caitlyn and hug her much like when they were children. Once Derek had let go of Caitlyn, Laura was wrapping her arms around her in a similar matter.

“Has anything changed with Uncle Peter?” Laura questioned, Caitlyn shook her head nothing had changed in the last twelve months since the two of them had been in New York.

“Haven't seen Cora either, I keep running the preserve at night. Pops thinks that I'm crazy,” Caitlyn said as Derek grabbed her two suitcases, she had her pillow in a duffel bag with her jacket. “Next time I'm flying,”

“No, next time I'm driving,” Derek grinned holding up a set of car keys as Laura rolled her eyes. “What Laura? You said that I could,”

“I don't want either of you getting killed,” Laura muttered under her breath so that only the two of them could hear her.

“Laura,” Both of them growled in response as they made it out to the Camaro that Laura had given Derek for his birthday.

Just as Caitlyn promised every night she called Stiles before he went to sleep and listened to his stories about how his day was and what he did with Scott. She listened to him talk excitedly about Lydia Martin the girl he developed a crush on. She listened when he told her that he was worried about her, about their dad.

“Derek, come home with me?” Caitlyn questioned one night when the two of them were walking through Central Park.

“When? And where would I stay?” Derek questioned, wrapping his arm around her in a protective manner as they stopped under one of the street lamps.

“The holidays, and with me. Always with me,” Caitlyn answered, she'd promised Stiles that she'd spend a week with him in the summer.

“Maybe,” Derek answered pulling her closer to him as they both heard noises that they didn't like the sound of. “Let's get out of here,”

“Good idea,”

July 2010, Caitlyn had become an alpha, after protecting three younger beta's from their alpha who had gone feral after losing his mate. Derek had been there and helped protect them, but it had been Caitlyn who had ended the alpha's life; it was passed off as a wild animal attack in Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota.

“Cait, take a deep breath,” Derek stood in front of Caitlyn between her and the body of the feral alpha that the three young beta's had been scared of. “Caitlyn!” Derek growled his eyes momentarily flashing golden at her.

“What?!” Caitlyn growled back as her eyes flashed red at him.

“You did the right thing,” Derek told her, she may have been an alpha now but they were still best-friends. “Laura will tell you the same thing,”

“I didn't know what else to do,” Caitlyn mumbled her eyes fading back to their natural colour of hazel. “If I didn't they'd be dead...we would...”

“Laura said to meet her back at the camp site and bring them with us,” Derek said before wrapping his arms around Caitlyn and kissing the side of her head. “She'll help you, we both will,”

“Would he really have killed us?” one of the beta's Jack asked quietly from where they were sitting beside a tree.

“He would, you've never been told about when a wolf goes feral have you?” Derek questioned as the two of them turned around and looked at the three scared beta's. “When a wolf loses their mate, they lose all sense of humanity all of their instincts,”

“How long ago did his mate die?” Caitlyn questioned, both of them knew it had to be the reason and they didn't want to think what would happen if it happened to them.

“A week...we've been hiding here and somehow he found us,” Louis, another of the beta's answered as he picked up his younger sister Molly.

“You're safe now,” Caitlyn smiled at them, Derek nodded in agreement and the two of them led them away from the scene before them.

When they reached the camp site Laura informed them that she'd found one of the park rangers was a werewolf and that she'd tell them it was a wild animal attack. Jack, Louis and Molly stayed with Caitlyn until they found another pack after hearing that Caitlyn was returning to Beacon Hills. She'd been with Derek and Laura for a month of every year since Stiles was twelve, and now that he was turning seventeen Caitlyn planned on not leaving. By January 2011, Derek was back in Beacon Hills after Laura hadn't returned from news that there was animal killings from Caitlyn that bore the marks that they'd learned as teenagers that meant revenge.

“Derek? Derek what is it?” Caitlyn questioned running into the preserve the day after half of Laura's body had been found.

“Laura's wolf...I felt the bond break...she's gone,” Derek muttered, his voice barely audible to a human but clear as day to another wolf, as he shoved his hands into the pocket of his jacket.

“I felt it too...two days ago, I tried calling you but I couldn't get you,” Caitlyn told him before she quickly wrapped her arms around him, Derek could be a down right grump and pain in the ass but she knew him. “Come stay with me, I don't want you staying here it's not good for you,”

Derek didn't disagree with her, he moved in with Caitlyn but kept returning to the husk of the Hale House every night. Derek did wonder who was in Caitlyn's pack now that Jack, Louis and Molly had been taken in by another. He didn't have to wonder long as he realised that Caitlyn's pack was her dad and younger brother even if they didn't know it. Noah knew about werewolves, he had for the past twenty years but played plausible deny-ability to keep Caitlyn and Derek safe. Scott blamed both Caitlyn and Derek for turning him once he discovered what they both were when they saved him from hunters. 

* * *

**Authors note:** _I'm using the Australian schooling system for the purpose of this story as it's what I know being Australian. The school year starts at the end of January and finishes mid December. We have 4 terms of approximately 9-10 weeks each with 2 week breaks in between and 6 weeks over Christmas. Term 1 holidays are 2 weeks in April; Term 2 holidays are 2 weeks in July; Term 3 holidays are last week September & first week of October; Term 4 is mid December to end of January. Keep in mind too Australian seasons are different to America (our Summer is your Winter etc)._


	2. Lights and Sounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles starts having a panic attack followed by an anxiety attack while the group is discussing whether or not to tell Caitlyn about Derek being missing. 
> 
> Stiles says that they should while Scott is entirely against the other Alpha knowing. 
> 
> “Told you she needed to know,” Stiles muttered poking his tongue out at Scott in the process. Theo stifled a laugh before he and Isaac moved to the attic window.
> 
> “You didn't say that she'd know already,” Scott stated, looking at Stiles and then at Caitlyn before he spoke again. “Sorry Cait, I didn't know...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> More coming for everything in the next few days :)  
As always feel free to ask questions & kudos are welcome.

**Chapter 02:** _Lights and Sounds_

  
Sometime later in 2013, over a period of two years Scott became a True-Alpha, he gained a rag-tag group for his pack. His best-friend Stiles; Lydia Martin – resident banshee; Malia Tate – Derek's werecoyote cousin; Liam Dunbar – his bitten beta; Corey Bryant – a chimera made by the Dread-Doctors and Mason Hewitt – Liam's human best-friend. Caitlyn's pack consisted of Derek her best-friend from day one; Isaac Lahey – Derek's first beta and later Scott's; Jackson Whittemore – another of Derek's former beta's; Cora Hale – the youngest of the Hale wolves; Ethan Steiner – a former alpha werewolf now a beta; and Theo Raeken – a chimera made by the Dread-Doctor's. In Caitlyn's eyes her pack would always include Stiles, her father and Derek.

As the McCall pack gathered in Caitlyn's house, Stiles had told them that it was the best place to be mainly because he just wanted to be close to his sister. Scott had agreed with him, he didn't think it was fair using his mothers house continuously and having it broken and put back together. Stiles was standing rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet listening to his friends arguing. Derek had been missing for months and no one knew how to tell Caitlyn or even if they should as she'd been out of town dealing with Ethan and Jackson in London. What they didn't know was that she'd also been searching for Derek.

"We can't tell her, Stiles you can't!" Lydia exclaimed wrapping her arms around Stiles to try and stop him from moving.

"I have to! She's my sister. She needs to know!" Stiles crossed his arms indignantly as he looked at Lydia as he stepped away from her and then at Scott and the rest of their friends.

"She doesn't need to know anything," Scott said standing in front his best-friend only for Stiles to glare at him.

"Did you know that she was with Derek and his sister the night of the fire? No, you didn't. I didn't know either until they told me," Stiles paused his arms still crossed against his chest as he continued to glare at Scott. "You know where she was the night my mom died?" Stiles questioned he was starting to hyperventilate and Isaac was the only one to pick up on it.

"Mason, can you take Stiles outside?" Isaac questioned, looking to the only other human in the group as Stiles shook his head.

"Stiles? Are you in here?" Caitlyn called from the bottom of the staircase even though she knew exactly how many people were in her house. "If you don't answer in the next 30 seconds I'll tell you exactly who's here,"

Stiles looked at his friends and then at the door to the room that they were all standing in. He knew that his sister would know exactly who was in her house without looking at the cars parked out the front. Scott raised his eyebrow, while Liam started growling. Stiles snickered before they all heard Caitlyn walking up the stairs talking. Caitlyn had just arrived back in town and had only been expecting Stiles.

"Stiles, Scott, Isaac, Lydia, Malia, Mason, Liam, Corey and Braeden," Caitlyn said, she didn't bother saying Theo's name because the Chimera was in her pack and not Scott's and she'd asked him to meet her there.

"Wait Cait, you missed someone?" Stiles questioned as Caitlyn walked into the attic and smiled at Theo.

"No I didn't. Hey Theo,” Caitlyn smiled at him before her attention was back on the McCall pack. “Okay, who wants to tell me what the hell is going on?”

“How much...how much did you hear?” Stiles' anxiety was on the verge of getting out of control as he spoke and Caitlyn could tell that much. He knew that she'd heard more than what she was letting on.

“Sti, come here,” Caitlyn held out her arms and moved closer to her little brother who shook his head until she wrapped her arms around him. “Breathe with me. Look for five things that you can see, four things that you can touch, three things that you can hear, two things that you can smell and one thing that you can taste,” Caitlyn spoke calmly as she tried getting Stiles back focusing again. “Liam stop growling, Scott do you mind?”

“She's the alpha of the what did you call yourselves Cait?” Scott questioned, looking to Caitlyn who motioned to Theo who just grinned at her.

“The Misfits,” Isaac said, he was a part of Caitlyn's pack, but spent time with Scott's when Caitlyn was out of town.

“Isaac?” Scott raised his eyebrow at the beta, wondering how he even knew what they were called. “You split between mine and hers don't you?”

“Sorry,” Isaac muttered he hated that Scott hadn't known until that moment.

“Start talking now,” Caitlyn said once Stiles was focused again and now sitting on one of the many mismatched chairs.

Scott shook his head, Caitlyn glared at him she didn't care that he was the true-alpha they were holding their little meeting in her house. Lydia looked at Scott and then at Stiles, wondering if she should say anything even though she had been the one to decide they shouldn't. Caitlyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she opened them again.

“Derek's missing and you're scared to tell me,” Caitlyn said this time it was her turn to fold her arms across her chest. “You kids do realise that Derek and I talk every three days when he's not here right?”

“Told you she needed to know,” Stiles muttered poking his tongue out at Scott in the process. Theo stifled a laugh before he and Isaac moved to the attic window.

“You didn't say that she'd know already,” Scott stated, looking at Stiles and then at Caitlyn before he spoke again. “Sorry Cait, I didn't know...”

“You never asked. I haven't heard from him in over two months, Theo and I have been looking for him. That's what Cora's doing now,” Caitlyn answered, running a hand over her face as her eyes landed on Lydia. “Lydia, what is it?”

“Lydia,” the tone in Scott's voice had everyone glare at him and Caitlyn whack him upside the head.

“Scott, it's not your decision on who Lydia tells. She's a banshee, and I'm pretty god damn sure that Derek told you what they do,” Caitlyn stated, this time with Stiles backing her up with the Stilinski glare.

“You heard me scream didn't you?” Lydia questioned, Caitlyn nodded she'd heard her as she was driving back into Beacon Hills. “I saw Derek...but I don't know where he was or where he is. I'm sorry,”

“It's okay. Tell me what you saw exactly?” Caitlyn smiled at Lydia and motioned for them all to sit down while Isaac and Theo stayed at the window.

Lydia told Caitlyn exactly what she'd seen when she screamed and it was Derek dying alone in an abandoned factory. Scott said that it was similar to where he'd found Derek a few years prior when Kate Argent had strung him up and tortured him. Caitlyn raised her eyebrow at Scott she remembered Stiles telling her something about it one night when he'd slept over.

“Describe it again, I think I know where that is,” Caitlyn said as she thought about all the places that she had been in the recent months searching for him.

“Cait?” Stiles questioned, he hadn't moved from where his sister had sat him down on one of the mismatched chairs.

“Theo and I have literally been around the country checking, Peter's still looking for him,” Caitlyn answered as she waited for Lydia to speak.

“It looks old, run down, dilapidated red brick building...it looks like its in the middle of a forest?” Lydia said, Caitlyn thought for a moment she knew where Lydia was talking about but she hadn't been there in a few years. “Do you really know it?”

“I do, it's North Brother Island. It was closed down in the 1960s no one ever goes there,” Caitlyn answered, Theo looked at her they'd only just been in New York not that long ago talking to the packs there. “Scott, it's in New York,”

“Are we going back?” Theo questioned, Caitlyn nodded they had to, they had to find Derek before something bad happened to him.

“What aren't you telling us?” Scott raised his eyebrow as he looked at Theo and Caitlyn, apparently they knew something that he didn't know.

“North Brother Island was closed in the 1960s due to being home to contagious diseases...like typhoid fever...” Caitlyn trailed off, they couldn't risk anyone going there that wasn't of he supernatural variety. “Stiles, that means that you, Mason and Lydia can't go. Well technically I don't want any of you going,”

“Surely they can't still be there?” Lydia and Mason questioned at the same time. Caitlyn shook her head it wasn't only that.

“On second thoughts I don't think it's North Brother Island...it could be the Hudson River State Hospital,” Caitlyn answered as both buildings had the same general feel about them and were both abandoned and in New York.

Meanwhile in the abandoned Hudson River State Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York, Derek was being strung up by chains coated in kanima venom. He was also having an electric current continuously in his body, while being tortured periodically with wolfsbane laced knives. Derek didn't know what they wanted or why they had taken him so far from Beacon Hills.

“Where is the she wolf?” one of the hunters questioned as they produced a taser wand and stuck it in one of the open wound on Derek's chest.

“What she wo...” Derek trailed off as he screamed, the kanima venom wearing off but he knew they'd redo it again.

“La loba,” the hunter replied, Derek groaned he hadn't seen Kate Argent in years, in fact he didn't even know if she was still alive.

“I don't know!” Derek growled before being knocked unconscious as the electricity was amped up.

Back in Beacon Hills, Caitlyn and Scott were talking about taking Theo and Malia to Poughkeepsie to find Derek. Stiles was insisting that Caitlyn stay in Beacon Hills as they needed at least on Alpha still in town. Stiles really just wanted his sister to stop leaving all the time.

“Let Scott, Malia and Theo go. They can handle it,” Stiles insisted as he stood in between Scott and Caitlyn and crossed his arms.

“They've never been there Stiles. I know where it is,” Caitlyn told him as she ran a hand over her face and looked at Stiles and then at the others.

“Cait!” Stiles whined before Caitlyn looked at Braeden and the two women nodded to each other. “Wait a minute. You! You just!”

“Omitted the truth to a room of werewolves,” Caitlyn shrugged pulling Stiles into a hug before she spoke again. “Braeden's been. We rescued a pack from there sometime last year,”

Scott turned to Braeden and looked at her waiting for her to speak. “The building is similar to Eichen. With mountain ash,” Braeden explained moving from where she was standing leaning against the wall. “Cait, I'll bring him back in one piece,”

“I'm coming with you,” Caitlyn said only for Stiles to glare at her and start panicking again. “Stiles, breathe. You're coming with me,” Stiles blinked he was still standing wrapped in his sisters arms.

“Five things...a window, chair, a stack of books, my shoes, the carpet...Four things...my hoodie, the beanbag...” Stiles trailed off as he looked around the room his breathing still erratic as he tried to focus. “Caitlyn, a cushion...”

“What's he doing?” Mason questioned his voice quiet as he earned a glare from Scott and a growl from Malia.

“Shh, keep going,” Caitlyn soothed, she didn't remove her arms from him as he was now holding onto her tightly.

“Three things...the birds, Scott, the radio...two things...flowers, dust...one thing...gum...” Stiles mumbled, his breathing calmed down somewhat but he was still in a state panic and not daring to move.

Scott motioned for everyone to follow him and leave the room they were in but Caitlyn shook her head and instead guided Stiles out. Caitlyn guided Stiles out of the upstairs study and into the spare room that she'd dubbed Stiles' room. Stiles stumbled over his own feet and into Caitlyn as they made it to the bed and sat down.

“Stiles, this is why I don't want you staying. You may not be a wolf, but you have an anchor. Everyone does,” Caitlyn explained turning to face Stiles so that he could see that she was telling him the truth. “The day you met Derek, that was the day you unintentionally made him your anchor,”

“No...no that's not possible,” Stiles mumbled, trying to focus on Caitlyn as the pack made their way down the stairs and to the living area.

“Think about it. What stopped you from panicking that day at the station? Or when Scott was in trouble?” Caitlyn questioned, she could have been referring to any of the multiple times that Scott was in trouble but Stiles knew when she was talking about. “The constant was Derek,”

“No,” Stiles shook his head, Caitlyn couldn't have been right about Derek.

“Sti, you did it subconsciously. He may be my partner, but he's your anchor like both of you are mine,” Caitlyn told him wrapping her arms around him again and pulling him close before kissing the side of his head. “Get some sleep. We leave in the morning, Roscoe is staying home,”

“How...how the hell do you always know when I need sleep?” Stiles questioned, stifling a yawn as he clumsily tried to pull away from Caitlyn. “You know I hated you when you weren't there when mom died,”

“You're my Stiles. I always know,” Caitlyn smiled at him before she let go of him so that he could curl up in a ball on the bed. “I know you did,”

“And when you left, but now you always keep your promises,” Stiles mumbled falling back onto the bed and reaching for the pillows and pulling them close.

“Get some sleep Mischief,” Caitlyn leaned over and kissed the top of his head again before she left the room closing the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The two buildings mentioned:  
North Brother Island & Hudson River State Hospital are two very real places that are both abandoned.


	3. Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So I may have just remembered where I put it...” Caitlyn bit her lip and dragged Isaac from the bathroom as Stiles darted in. “Linen closet,”
> 
> “Linen closet?” Isaac questioned, Caitlyn shrugged it was where Claudia had kept things when she was growing up. “I do have a question though. Why is Derek so important?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!   
More coming soon. Hope you're enjoying, there will be some background things you may pick up on.

**Chapter 03:** _Road Trip_

  
Early the next morning, everyone was hastily packing a bag to throw in the back of Caitlyn's van. Stiles was still curled up in the bed where Caitlyn had left him the night before. Scott's pack had all gone home, save for Scott who insisted on staying until he knew that Stiles was going to be okay. Isaac was trying to find where Caitlyn had put as she called it her emergency werewolf medical kit or the Wolf-fix Kit.

“Cait, where did you last see it?” Isaac called from the bathroom on the main level of the house as he searched under the sink.

“Try the study?” Caitlyn called back from her room where she was throwing clothes for both her and Derek into her bag.

“Caitlyn are you sure bring three teenagers is a good idea?” Braeden questioned standing in the doorway to Caitlyn's room with her bag slung over her shoulder.

“Honestly? I don't know. I just know that we need to get Derek back,” Caitlyn answered straightening up as she closed the bag and dropped it to the ground. “You know they're good kids, that they can fight,”

“Stiles can't,” Braeden stated, Caitlyn rolled her eyes she knew that her little brother wasn't the best fighter but he had been trying and he was one of the most intelligent people that she knew.

“No, but he's learning and I promised him I'd never leave him behind,” Caitlyn answered, she knew that Braeden was right, Stiles couldn't fight but at least he was always willing to give it a go. “He's also my brother,”

“But you're a born wolf?” Braeden raised her eyebrow at Caitlyn before she glanced towards the bedroom that Stiles was starting to stir.

“Yes, but Stiles is still my brother. Half-brother but still my brother,” Caitlyn said as she picked up her bag and tossed it to Braeden. “Can you put this in the van?”

Braeden nodded, she wasn't going to argue with the Alpha not while she was in her house. Braeden made her way from the upper level of the house and down into the kitchen where Theo was making himself useful and cooking up breakfast and coffee. Theo turned slightly as he heard Braeden standing behind him and smiled at her before returning to the stove as Isaac emerged from the study.

“Theo you haven't seen it anywhere have you?” Isaac questioned, he was coming up completely empty handed with where the Wolf-fix Kit.

“Try the upstairs bathroom?” Theo answered, he wasn't sure where exactly was no one knew. “Do you want a breakfast burrito? Braeden?”

“Sure,” Isaac called back as he disappeared up the stairs towards the bathroom, passing Caitlyn opening Stiles' door.

“Why not,” Braeden shrugged, before she picked up Caitlyn's keys and went out to the drive to start putting their bags in the back.

Stiles rolled over still clutching the pillow in his arms as Caitlyn slipped into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Stiles mumbled something that Caitlyn didn't catch as she walked over to the bed and crouched down in front of the bed as Stiles opened his eyes. The look in Stiles' eyes told Caitlyn everything that she needed to know, he'd had a bad dream that he couldn't shake.

“Sti, come 'ere,” Caitlyn spoke quietly as she put her hand on his shoulder. “What was it?”

“Derek...what does it mean?” Stiles mumbled as slowly sat up still holding the pillow, a sign that the pillow was making the journey to New York with them.

“I don't know, it's going to take us at least three days to get there. Cora and Peter are closer than us, and they're meeting us there. I told them not to do anything until we get there,” Caitlyn said before she pulled Stiles into her arms and hugged him tightly. Stiles yawned and clung to Caitlyn before she kissed the side of his head. “Go have a shower and get dressed. Throw some clothes in a bag and then we're leaving,”

“Cait...” Stiles blinked, resting his head against his sisters shoulder, before he made a move to go the bathroom. Caitlyn sent Stiles a look that he recognised as one that their mother used to give him when she wanted him moving. “I'm moving,”

Caitlyn smiled at Stiles before she left the room and went to help Isaac in finding the kit. Isaac looked up from where he was looking under the sink as Caitlyn looked in the medicine cabinet before she remembered where she'd put. Caitlyn quickly shut the medicine cabinet, and pulled Isaac up before she kicked the cupboard doors shut.

“So I may have just remembered where I put it...” Caitlyn bit her lip and dragged Isaac from the bathroom as Stiles darted in. “Linen closet,”

“Linen closet?” Isaac questioned, Caitlyn shrugged it was where Claudia had kept things when she was growing up. “I do have a question though. Why is Derek so important?”

“Derek and I were born minutes apart in the same hospital...I was part of the Hale Pack from birth,” Caitlyn answered, she knew that Isaac knew a little about it and Theo was the same. Stiles knew every detail, while Derek had told Braeden a little. “I'll explain more on the way there,”

“Okay...” Isaac smiled at her before they headed back downstairs to wait, Theo had managed to get Braeden to help hi with finishing packing the food for the journey. They wanted to stop as little as possible.

“You'll understand more when I explain it,” Caitlyn said as kept an ear out for what Stiles was doing just to make sure nothing was wrong.

Meanwhile, in the abandoned Hudson River State Hospital, the hunters that had taken Derek had decided on continually sending short bursts of electricity through his body. Derek was groaning in pain and his body was starting to convulse after being stabbed every few hours with a wolfsbane laced knife and then having it burned partially from his body.

“I don't know!” Derek screamed, they'd been asking him the same questions repeatedly for the last two months. Every time he gave them the same answer.

“Where is La Loba?!” the hunter asked again, Derek growled and gave them the same answer before he felt his skin being ripped open again and passing out.

“He clearly doesn't know anything,” another hunter said, from the door way as she leaned against it.

“We'll keep asking until he gives us an answer!” the same hunter replied, before inserting a long needle into Derek's side hooking him up to a machine to slowly drain his blood.

Back in Beacon Hills, Caitlyn, Theo, Braeden, Stiles and Isaac were climbing into Caitlyn's van with Stiles sitting up front next to his sister. Theo, Isaac and Braeden climbing in the back with Theo in charge of the food. Stiles looked at Caitlyn and knew that something was wrong, his dream wasn't the only thing that was playing on his mind.

“Stiles, once we get out of Beacon Hills we'll talk I promise,” Caitlyn smiled at him reaching for his hand as she started the van.

“Is there a reason you wanted us to leave at 7:30 in the morning?” Theo questioned, before he handed out the breakfast burritos he'd made and Braeden handed two coffee's to Stiles.

“Easier to get out of town and on the road,” Caitlyn answered, a small yawn escaping her mouth before she took one of the coffee's from Stiles and drank some of it. “Just what I needed,”

“Cait, are you going to tell them about Derek?” Stiles looked at Caitlyn before he shovelled some of the burrito into his mouth.

“They need to know, the others can find out later,” Caitlyn told him, she knew that Stiles didn't really like the idea of pack knowing about her but they had to know the full story.

“What are you two talking about?” Braeden queried, looking between Stiles and Caitlyn before glancing to Theo and Isaac who were both leaning against the wall of the van.

“Tell me how much do each of you know about Derek and I?” Caitlyn asked right as they reached the city limits, they hadn't realised that they'd only been driving for roughly forty minutes.

“Well Stiles blurted out yesterday that you were with him the night of the fire, and you said something about the pack,” Isaac said, that was what he knew about them which was the same as Theo.

“Derek told me something but he said to not mention it again,” Braeden replied, Caitlyn raised her eyebrow in the rear view mirror.

As they drove further away from Beacon Hills, Caitlyn found herself trying to think of how to explain why Derek was so important to her. Stiles looked at his sister and could see the cogwheels turning in her brain just like in his. Theo closed his eyes and took a bite from his burrito while Isaac started on his coffee.

“Derek and I were born a few minutes apart...me on Christmas Eve and him on Christmas Day, we're both born werewolves,” Caitlyn said not taking her eyes off of the road as she continued out of Beacon Hills. “My mom died when I was only a baby so I never knew her. The Hales helped raise me even after dad married mom, yes I called Claudia mom from the day she married dad,”

“Tell them what you told me when I was older,” Stiles said closing his eyes and leaning against the window with his pillow.

“The day I met Derek I was only a baby however as we got older we were told that the day we met was the day we became soul-mates and mates, I don't know what I'd do without Derek,” Caitlyn paused taking a deep breath before she spoke again. “Soul-mates and mates don't necessarily mean a romantic relationship but they can,”

“She can feel something happening to Derek, that's how she knows we need to find him,” Stiles muttered his eyes still closed as he dropped the burrito into his lap. He'd long put the coffee down in the cup holder. “And...”

“Stiles, it's okay. We'll find him...Humans can have anchors too,” Caitlyn said glancing at Stiles briefly before she continued to speak. “Derek is Stiles',”

“Stiles? When?” Isaac was the one to speak this time, as Braeden studied the wolves closely to see what they would do.

“The station...the day you...” Stiles trailed off he didn't want to bring up the memory of Isaac's first full moon. Isaac gulped understanding what he was talking about.

The next few days went by with the group taking turns driving every six hours so that they could get there and of course stopping for a few hours so that they could use the truck stops to sleep and the bathroom. Caitlyn talking quietly with Braeden, Braeden understanding what it all meant about to Caitlyn about soul-mates and mates. Braeden realised that Derek would always somehow how find his way back to Caitlyn.

“So what you're saying is that you and Derek will find a way to each other?” Braeden questioned, looking at Caitlyn and then behind them to see if the others were listening to them.

“Yeah, we've known each other forever and being connected at a young age is rare,” Caitlyn answered, that was something that she hadn't told them.

“How rare are we talking?” Braeden asked as they entered into New York.

“Almost as rare as a True-Alpha,” Caitlyn answered remembering the stories that Talia had told her and Derek when they were kids. “What makes us different, we've always been pack,”

By the time that Caitlyn, Braeden, Stiles, Theo and Isaac made it to Cora and Peter in Poughkeepsie, Cora was beside herself hidden listening to Derek's pained howls. The second that Cora saw Caitlyn she was racing to the alpha and burying her head in her shoulder. Caitlyn wrapped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Peter looked at the alpha and her beta's before his eyes settled on Braeden and then finally Stiles' nervous form.

“Now why would you bring Stiles with you?” Peter questioned folding his arms across his chest as his eyes didn't leave Stiles.

“Not now Peter,” Caitlyn growled her eyes flashing red as she did so before her attention was on the building in front of them. “How many hunters have you seen?”

“At least a dozen,” Cora answered pulling away from Caitlyn as her eyes flashed golden, Isaac and Theo's did at the same time. “I don't like it, he's in pain,” Isaac moved quickly to Cora and wrapped his arms around her.

“I know, Braeden, Theo?” Caitlyn said looking to the mercenary and chimera who nodded. “Stiles, whatever happens don't leave my sight,” Stiles nodded before he was looking at Peter and glaring at the older wolf.

“I'll protect your brother,” Peter said before Stiles was reaching into Caitlyn's van and pulling out a metal baseball bat.

“I don't need protecting,” Stiles huffed holding the bat as Caitlyn threw her arm around his shoulder. “Cait, I don't,”

“I know Stiles, but this is more hunters than we've dealt with in a while,” Caitlyn said, pulling him close to her and hugging him before the group started to move. “If anything happens I want you out of there as fast as you can and back in the van,” Stiles nodded he knew that Caitlyn meant business she didn't want anything happening to her baby brother.


	4. Save You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlyn, Stiles, Theo, Isaac, Braeden, Peter and Cora rescue a barely alive Derek. 
> 
> While back in Beacon Hills, the McCall pack discuss the Stilinski's and Hale's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you're liking, any questions/comments go right ahead :)
> 
> Enjoy, as there's more coming soon.

**Chapter 04:** _Save You_

  
The group fought their way into where Derek was being held, after Caitlyn told them to only render then unconscious she didn't want any deaths on their hands. Peter, Cora and Theo argued that they were hunters they'd caused more than enough deaths. Stiles stayed mum, and kept close to Caitlyn and Isaac figuring that even though Isaac was violent he was the least likely to get him killed. When they reached where Derek was being held in one of the lower levels of the hospital, Stiles wanted to race to him but Caitlyn shook her head.

“Stiles, stay there. Trust me, Theo come with me,” Caitlyn motioned with her head for Theo to go into the room first to make sure that there was no one in there hiding that she couldn't sense. “Stiles, please,”

“Okay,” Stiles muttered, before he found Isaac almost protectively wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “Isaac?”

“She's my alpha,” Isaac answered, while Cora and Peter stood guard at opposite ends of the corridor with Braeden near Cora. “I'm not letting anything happen,”

“It's all clear, Cait...what do we do?” Theo questioned, as Caitlyn walked in behind him and the two of them saw Derek chained to a fence.

“We be careful,” Caitlyn said as she reached Theo and saw that he was slightly unnerved from being in a room that reminded him of being with the dread-doctors. “Theo, it's okay. Go out with the others,”

“I can do this,” Theo said looking around for anything that they could use to help them get Derek free.

“Derek...” Caitlyn trailed off as she reached him and noticed that he was barely conscious. “What the fuck have they done to you?”

Caitlyn reached up and touched Derek's face, he was cold and her hands were warm as she drew what pain he had. Theo watched for a second before he switched off the power conduit that was running constant bolts of electricity into Derek's body. Caitlyn pulled the probes from his body before she noticed that his eyes were clouded and bloodshot.

“Don't touch the chains with your bare hands,” Theo said as he noticed a bottle of kanima venom sitting on the work bench. “Kanima venom,”

“Wasn't planning on it,” Caitlyn answered before pulling her hand away from Derek's face and speaking to him. “Der, we're getting you out of here I promise,”

“Caitlyn?” Derek's voice was barely audible but both Theo and Caitlyn heard him. Caitlyn looked around as Stiles crept into the room.

“Cait...what...” Stiles trailed off as Isaac wrapped his arms around him to calm him down.

“Sti, come here. Isaac you and Stiles can help,” Caitlyn said and motioned for both teenagers to go to her and Theo.

“What do you want us to do?” Isaac questioned, he hadn't let go of Stiles as both Caitlyn and him could sense that Stiles wanted to run.

“Hand me the gloves and both of you be ready to catch Derek, Theo will be on standby,” Caitlyn said as she faced the two of them before her attention was back focusing on Derek's laboured breathing.

Stiles looked uncertainly at Caitlyn and then Derek before he realised that Isaac hadn't let go and that he didn't care. Stiles shrugged a little as Isaac released his grip and let him dig in the Wolf-fix kit and held out the gloves to Caitlyn. Caitlyn smiled at him taking the gloves and his hand at the same time and pulling him towards Derek and ultimately pulling Isaac as well.

“Is he...?” Stiles questioned watching as Caitlyn pulled on the gloves before she was reaching for the chains holding Derek's arms up.

“He's alive, but not good,” Caitlyn answered almost immediately regretting saying anything as the three teenagers looked at her and then at Derek. “He'll be okay as long as we can get him out of here,”

“You heard her, he'll be okay,” Isaac said reassuringly to Stiles as he picked up on his heartbeat speeding up. “Breathe Stiles, Theo can do this if you...” Stiles shook his head before he was nodding it and stepping out of the way for Theo to take his place.

Once the boys were in position Caitlyn was yanking at the chain while holding his arm at the same time once one was free she let go and Isaac quickly stepped up catching him. Next she worked on freeing his other arm making sure that the chains didn't touch any bare skin on either of the teens. Caitlyn quickly worked on his arms before noticing that one was bent out of shape signifying that it was possibly broken.

“Just have to free his feet now,” Caitlyn said as she crouched down to his feet and allowed her eyes to flash red before she yanked the restraints from his ankles leaving the chains attached to the fence.

“Cait, what is it?” Both Isaac and Theo spoke at the same time as they stumbled under Derek's weight.

“I'm not sure, lay him down over there. Cora how much time do we have?” Caitlyn questioned as she watched Theo and Isaac move Derek slowly over to what seemed to be an old hospital bed. “Theo, Isaac go swap with Cora,” The second that the two had laid Derek on the bed they left and were swapping with Cora who put a hand over her mouth the second she saw Derek.

“We have maybe seven minutes,” Cora said after regaining her composure and walking over to Derek, Stiles and Caitlyn.

“Okay, good. Don't touch the restraints until you put gloves on,” Caitlyn told her before she was digging through the bag and handing Cora a pair of gloves. “Stiles, come here, patch Derek up the best you can,”

Stiles nodded and grabbed what he needed to patch up where she had pulled out the probes from Derek's body. As he was cleaning and covering them over he noticed something that didn't seem right down the leg of the pants Derek was wearing. Stiles followed the line to where it seemed to still be hooked up to something a machine and quickly pulled it out. Cora and Caitlyn worked on breaking the restraints on Derek's wrists and tossing them to the side.

“Anything else we can deal with in the van. Stiles, he's going to be okay,” Caitlyn said before she and Cora attempted to get Derek onto his feet. “Der, do you think you can stand?” Derek shook his head, he didn't even know how long he'd been gone for or how long he'd been chained up.

“Peter get your ass in here and carry Derek,” Caitlyn hissed, as she looked at Cora who held up a two fingers to signify they only had a couple of minutes to leave.

“Peter!” Cora hissed, before her uncle was in the room and picking up his nephew. Cora took hold of Stiles' hand and started to drag him from the room. “Stay with me Stiles,”

“We need to leave now!” Braeden yelled as she fired her gun at one of the hunters that had started moving again. Theo and Isaac could be heard growling.

“This way!” Theo yelled motioning to the opposite end of the hallway to what Braeden was at.

“Go, I'll be right behind you,” Caitlyn yelled, before she ran to Braeden to help her.

The four teenagers ran with Peter holding Derek, Isaac slowing to help the older wolf while Theo ran ahead making sure to only knock out any potential threats. Stiles and Cora didn't want to veer too far away from Derek just in case something happened. Braeden and Caitlyn were close behind fighting off hunters as they arose. Stiles sat in the back of the van in between Cora and Isaac while Peter lay Derek down before Theo was sitting beside him. Peter waited at the front of the van for Braeden and Caitlyn before telling them he'd see them back in Beacon Hills.

“No, I'm taking him to the old house,” Caitlyn answered, much to the shock of Peter and Cora they didn't know that Derek and Caitlyn still had access to the house. “Don't look so shocked, Derek kept it for getaways,”

“Is it safe?” Peter questioned, Caitlyn rolled her eyes she wouldn't take them if it wasn't safe.

“It's safe, I've sent you the address. Meet us there,”

Back in Beacon Hills, Scott and the rest of the McCall pack were waiting nervously by the phone for someone to all them to tell them that they'd rescued Derek. Scott was completely questioning whether it was a good idea for Caitlyn to have taken Isaac and Theo with her as they were the ones that had suffered the most, but Lydia assured him that she knew what she was doing. Lydia was more concerned with the fact that Stiles had gone with them.

“They're a pack...what did you expect?” Lydia questioned, looking at Scott as they sat in the living room of the McCall-Argent home.

“I don't know,” Scott shrugged, running a hand over his face as the others looked at him wondering what was really running through his head.

“Scott, relax,” Melissa's voice sounded from the kitchen as she Chris set about making the group lunch.

“I can't mom. What if they're in trouble and need help?” Scott questioned, leaning back and throwing his head against the sofa.

“Scott, they would have called if they needed help,” Chris said as he helped Melissa with making a variety of sandwiches. “She's an alpha too Scott, Derek's alpha,”

“Mate...” Malia muttered, she'd picked up on it the second that Lydia and Stiles had said about Derek being missing.

“What did you just say?” Liam questioned, looking at Malia and then at Scott for clarification of what the older teen had said.

“Nothing...” Malia answered before Scott was rolling his eyes with his head still against the back of the sofa. “Derek's her mate,”

Scott sat up and stared at Malia, Lydia raised her eyebrow how had none of them picked that up. Mason and Corey exchanged an 'I told you' look with one another, Liam tilted his head wondering what if it was actually true. Melissa and Chris finished in the kitchen and took the sandwiches and soda into the living room.

“Mom, did you know about Caitlyn and Derek?” Scott questioned, he knew that his mother picked up on more things than what he did.

“Sweetheart, do you really not remember playing with Stiles while Caitlyn and Derek looked after the two of you?” Melissa sighed, sitting on the arm of the sofa beside Scott and wrapping an arm around him. “There was a day back when you and Stiles were only kids maybe seven years old, Cait was upset because they’d had a fight,”

“I remember that day, she picked him up early and took him home,” Scott said before he was hugging his mother as he remembered watching Caitlyn and Stiles walking down the road before they disappeared from view. “You let me sit on the porch and watch until we couldn't see them any more,”

“That's right. But what you didn't see was Derek came looking for her not long after you'd gone to bed that night. He doesn't remember,” Melissa told them, she remembered it after she'd first met Derek again all those years later.

“Wait so you're saying that you've known about Derek and Caitlyn the entire time?” Malia questioned, Melissa sighed and shook her head she knew what Malia was trying to ask her.

“Not quite, I knew that they were friends and that she left Beacon Hills every few months to see Derek,” Melissa answered, she did recall that she'd never once seen Caitlyn injured for more than a few hours at a time. “Stiles trying to show Noah with the use of Cora, he knew already. He knew Cora was Talia's daughter,”

“Melissa, did you know Talia?” Lydia questioned, this time looking at Chris and then at Melissa as she picked up one of the sandwiches. “And thank you for lunch,” she smiled, tucking a loose strange of hair behind her ear.

“Only in passing, Noah knew her better than anyone,” Melissa answered, pausing as she thought of how to continue. Melissa leaned down and kissed the top of Scott's head before she looked to Chris. “What I do remember is the way Noah talked about Kathleen after she died, it was the same way he talks about Claudia,”

“Kathleen?” This time everyone looked to Melissa as she spoke before Scott was on his feet and opening the front door to reveal Noah and Deputy Jordan Parrish walking up the path.

Noah and Jordan walked into the house, Noah looking a little worse for wear as though he hadn't been sleeping since his two children drove across the country. Jordan offered the teenagers, Melissa and Chris a smile as Scott nodded to him. Jordan lead the weary Noah inside and towards one of the sofa's.

“Noah, you need to sleep,” Melissa said before Chris was on his feet heading into the kitchen to put on a cup of coffee.

“The kids found Derek,” Noah said as he sat on the sofa and leant back closing his eyes. “Told Parrish to drop me here but he insisted staying,”

“How?” Scott questioned, sitting beside his best-friends father as Jordan headed into the kitchen to talk with Chris.

“Cait and Stiles both have radio's and scanners in their cars,” Noah answered, he wasn't happy that they did but at the same time it stopped him from worrying about them all the time.


	5. You're Safe Now.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cora explains to Peter exactly why she trusts Caitlyn. 
> 
> Caitlyn and Braeden take them to where Derek, Caitlyn and Laura once lived in New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! More coming soon.

**Chapter 05:** _You're Safe Now_

  
_'Hey dad, we've got him. We should be home in under a week, I'll call you later,'_ Caitlyn sent to the Beacon County Sheriff's Department.

_'Caitlyn, keep me updated. You've had me worried,'_ Noah sent to Caitlyn's van.

As Caitlyn drove, she listened to Cora quietly talking to her brother while Theo and Isaac tried to keep Stiles calm. Braeden was keeping her eye on the rear-view and side mirrors to make sure that they weren't being followed. Cora was trying to keep Derek from falling unconscious and she didn’t know what else to do.

“Derek, stay with us,” Cora whispered, wrapping her arms around her old brother as she and Theo swapped places when they noticed that Derek wasn't comfortable. “Cait's taking us somewhere safe,”

“Cait, how long?” Theo questioned as he clambered over Stiles and sat beside him before Stiles was putting his head on his shoulder and yawning. “You okay Stiles?” Stiles shook his head, if he was honest he was worried about Derek.

“Not long, about an hour we're half way there now,” Caitlyn answered glancing behind her from where she and Braeden were in the front. “We'll stop once we're certain that we're not being followed,”

“There's a state park not far from here,” Braeden said without looking back as she checked the map that Caitlyn had in the glove box. “We should be safe to stop there for a few minutes,”

“Stiles, concentrate on listening to Theo's breathing,” Caitlyn said all of a sudden as she caught wind of her little brothers chemo-signals. “Theo are you good now?”

“Yeah...” Theo trailed off as his head hit the glass when they hit a bump in the road.

“Just relax, we'll be there in a minute or two,” Caitlyn said as she spotted the signs for the state park. “Cora, keep talking to Derek,”

Cora nodded, running a hand through her older brothers hair and finding it matted and a little bloody, just what had they done to him. Stiles moved his head from Theo's shoulder to Isaac's and found the taller boys arms wrapped around him to still him. Theo rubbed his head, as they went over another bump in the road as Cora held Derek steady on the seat before them.

“Braeden, think you can drive when we get back on the road?” Caitlyn asked as she drove up the road and headed to park the van out of sight of the main entrance to the park.

“Yeah, what are you going to do?” Braeden questioned as the van came to a stop and Caitlyn was unbuckling her seat belt and getting out.

“Work on Derek, I need to check what they did to him,” Caitlyn answered, she'd had experience with hunters and what they could do and it wasn't something that she liked. “I know you've dealt with them before but, it's different with Derek,”

“Cait...what do you want us to do?” Cora questioned as Caitlyn opened the back door of the van and climbed in.

“Go use the toilets, we'll be okay,” Caitlyn smiled at her, before she was ushering the teenagers out of the van and towards the toilet block.

Caitlyn reached down to the floor and opened up the wolf-fix kit before she was checking on the line of tubing that was tangling from Derek's pant leg. Caitlyn quickly pulled Derek's pants off and discarded them on the floor, it had to be done. It was then that she noticed where the tubing was coming from his small intestine near his rectum effectively blocking it.

“Shh Der, I need you to stay with me,” Caitlyn said as she carefully put Derek onto his side before she took another look at him. “Sti, come here,” Caitlyn could sense him hovering around behind the van.

Stiles walked slowly along beside the van before he spoke looking to his sister. “Cait?” he questioned quietly his eyes not wavering from looking at her. “What do you want?”

“I want you to help me, as soon as I pull this out I want you to patch it. We need to get it out before we get to the house,” Caitlyn answered motioning to the tubing that Stiles had initially noticed when they'd gotten to Derek.

“What else can I do?” Stiles wondered, watching as Caitlyn simultaneously pulled the tubing free and drew on what pain he could feel.

“Just this for now, we can do more at the house. I want you to stay with Theo and Isaac though okay?” Caitlyn answered, she didn't want Stiles seeing more than what he had to, he was still her baby brother.

Stiles nodded keeping his eyes on his sister before she motioned for him to patch Derek where the tube had been. Derek mumbled something that neither of them caught as his eyes fluttered. Caitlyn sighed, running a hand over his forehead and pushing back the matted hair. After a couple of minutes the group was back and climbing into the van, Caitlyn sat Derek up and pulled him into her arms.

“Der, you'll be okay,” Caitlyn whispered, her hand not moving from Derek's body once the others were in the van. “Cora, can you sit up front with Braeden?”

“Yeah, but I don't like it,” Cora answered, she didn't like car rides to begin with always feeling a little on the queasy side. “I threw up in Peter's car,” she muttered causing Theo to snicker before Isaac nudged him in the ribs.

“I know Core, we can make it easier on you on the way home,” Caitlyn smiled at her, Cora nodded climbing into the front passenger seat as Stiles, Isaac and Theo got in the back of the van.

“Thanks Cait,” Cora said immediately resting her head against the window of the van and closing her eyes. Caitlyn nodded and pulled the pain from Derek's body as Braeden started the drive to Derek and Laura's old house.

After an hour they arrived at the house just outside of Manhattan, near an old cemetery that Derek, Caitlyn and Laura used to run in late at night. Isaac shuddered as they drove past the cemetery, Caitlyn looked at him with a look that told him he'd get all the hugs he needed once they were safe. Once they were at the house, Caitlyn had Theo and Isaac carry Derek inside while Peter and Stiles set up the bedroom. Cora and Braeden did a quick run to the store to pick up food. After Peter and Stiles set up the bedroom, Stiles went and dusted off one of the sofas and sat down curling into it.

“Isaac, come here,” Caitlyn smiled at him the second that they Derek was set on the bed, Isaac nodded and walked over to her where he was quickly pulled into her arms. “You know he's going to be okay,” Caitlyn kissed the side of his head as she kept her arms around him.

“I know, it's just. I don't know...I've never seen him like this,” Isaac mumbled, his head resting against hers before he sat down on the bed beside Derek. “You know he saved me,”

“I know, Derek told me. That's why we wanted you in our pack,” Caitlyn told him quietly before she started to undress the bandages from their field work. “Can you go and check on Stiles for me?” Isaac nodded and left the room, it wasn't until he left that she realised that Peter was standing watching. “Can I help you Peter?”

“What exactly are you going to do to my nephew?” Peter answered as Caitlyn looked to him and then back to Derek.

“I plan on taking a better look at what they've been doing to him for the past two months,” Caitlyn replied, as she set about carefully undressing Derek and setting aside his clothes. “Now, you can either stand there and watch or you can help,”

“I think I'll just stand here,” Peter smirked at her, Caitlyn rolled her eyes and returned her attention to Derek, sometimes there was no dealing with Peter no matter what the situation.

“Fine, but if I ask you for something. Can you at least help me?” Caitlyn said as she started on taking off the dressings that Stiles had put on Derek. “Hey Der,”

Derek mumbled something, but his eyes remained closed as Caitlyn started to inspect the various wounds that were far from starting to heal on their own. Caitlyn turned around and faced Peter for a moment and just stared at him hoping that he'd take the hint and get some clean wash clothes. The only reason the house still had running water and electricity was because Derek has been paying the bills to keep it that way just in case. Peter made his way into what was the en-suite and looked around for clean wash clothes and a bucket both of which he found. Peter walked back out of the bathroom and set the bucket of water on the floor and handed the wash clothe to Caitlyn.

“Der, this might hurt a little,” Caitlyn told him before she started to gently clean off both the fresh and dried blood that was forming. “Peter, can you get fresh bandages and gauze out”

“Are you sure about this?” Peter questioned, while still doing what the younger werewolf had requested. “Anything else you'd like?”

“No, but put the kit beside the bucket and the bandages on the bed,” Caitlyn smiled at him, before she was carefully cleaning off Derek's face. “Derek, can you open your eyes for me? I just want to see what they did,” Derek shook his head, the light was too bright. “Peter turn off the light, and turn the beside lamp on please,”

“Really now?” Peter crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow at her.

“Yes, Peter. I'm sure. I need to see what they did to his eyes and he won't open them with the light,” Caitlyn answered waiting until the older man did as she said before she spoke once the room was plunged into darkness. “Derek, open your eyes for me, the room is completely dark,” Caitlyn put her hand up to stop him from turning the lamp on.

Caitlyn closed her eyes briefly before opening them and allowing them to glow alpha red. Derek slowly opened his eyes and moved his head slightly so that he was facing what he thought was Caitlyn. Caitlyn sighed, as she saw that his eyes were still clouded and bloodshot. Derek moved to close his eyes but not before Caitlyn stopped him and reached for something in kit to flush them out. Derek squirmed as he felt the coldness of the saline solution hit both his eyeballs and his skin.

“Shh, Der, it's okay. I'm just flushing them out hopefully in a day or two you'll be able to see,” Caitlyn spoke quietly as she finished dried off his face again before she carefully patched his eyes.

“Cait...don't go...” Derek mumbled as she finished patching his eyes before she moved on to where the tubing had been and did a little prodding causing him to groan.

“Let's sit you up for a minute. Do you think if I help you, that you can make it to the bathroom?” Caitlyn questioned she wanted him to at least attempt to use the toilet before she did anything else. “And Der, I don't plan on going anywhere,” she added before leaning over and kissing him. “Not for a long while,”

“I think I could...” Derek nodded as Caitlyn slowly moved him to a sitting position before she was helping him to his feet.

“Just take it one step at a time and if you can't it doesn't matter,” Caitlyn told him as he managed to slowly put his left arm around her shoulder to steady himself. “You can thank Stiles for helping with the initial patch up,”

“Lydia saw something didn't she?” Derek questioned as Caitlyn helped him to his feet, Caitlyn quickly put her free hand to his stomach as he started faltering before they had gotten anywhere.

“She did, and you're not going anywhere,” Caitlyn spoke quietly as she sat him back on the bed again. “Peter, can you find something that he can use?”

“Peter still here?” Derek questioned, he hadn't been listening before when his uncle was speaking.

“Yes nephew,” Peter said before he was disappearing in search of something, anything that they could use as a toilet for Derek.

Caitlyn sat with Derek keeping him steady with his head on her shoulder as Peter returned with Cora close behind him. Cora ran to Derek's side and sat on the bed while Peter handed Caitlyn the bucket he'd found. Cora raised her eyebrow before she was being ushered back out of the room by Caitlyn. Cora protested that Derek was her brother he should be allowed to help him. Caitlyn shook her head before she started to speak.

“Core, I know you want to help. But we don't know what happened. I need you to stay with Isaac and Stiles,” Caitlyn told her, Cora folded her arms and stood defiantly in the door way. “Cora, go,”

“Cait. Tell me what to do then,” Cora said her arms still folded while she looked between Caitlyn and Derek.

“Core, please. Just do what she asked,” Derek muttered before his head was dropping onto Caitlyn's shoulder again.

“Hey Der, stay with me. I need you to try and empty your bladder,” Caitlyn spoke quietly as she before she was carefully manoeuvring him onto the bucket.

Derek mumbled incoherently before he was trying to do what Caitlyn asked before he was shaking his head. Caitlyn sighed before she gently put a little bit of pressure on his bladder. Derek squirmed at the pressure but found it was helping him. Cora watched before she was being pulled from the room by Peter.

“How are you just letting her do that?” Peter questioned, he wanted to know exactly why Cora was letting Caitlyn help Derek on her own.

“Because Cait's always been there for Derek,” Cora answered glancing back into the bedroom to see that Derek was indeed emptying his bladder but with Caitlyn's help. “Derek calls her his other half,”

“And what do you think she is?” Peter questioned before he was watching as Caitlyn laid Derek on to his side and propped him up.

“Exactly what Derek said she is,” Cora answered before she was walking away from her uncle and towards where Stiles was sitting curled up with Isaac.

Caitlyn did what she could to clean up Derek and make sure that what she could see was well cleaned and stitched if need be. Sometimes, just sometimes werewolf healing didn't like to kick in and according to Peter and Caitlyn it looked like this was going to be one of those times for Derek. Caitlyn sat with Derek, and pulled him into her arms while Stiles crept into the room. Derek mumbled that he could hear him and to stop standing there.

“Sti, come here. Sleep with Der tonight,” Caitlyn smiled motioning for her younger brother to climb onto the bed. “I can't do any more for him until we get home,”

“Are you sure?” Stiles questioned nervously, rocking from foot to foot as he looked at Caitlyn and then at Derek.

“I'm sure,” Caitlyn nodded as did Derek though Stiles couldn't really tell from the angle that he was at. “Come on, I'll stay till you both fall asleep,”

“Cait...don't leave,” Derek turned his head to Caitlyn before he felt the bed shift from Stiles' weight climbing on. “Stiles,”

“Just sleep. I'm not leaving the house, promise,” Caitlyn told the two of them as Stiles settled onto the bed beside Derek, once they were both settle Caitlyn kissed Stiles on the forehead before she kissed Derek and drew on a little of his pain. 


	6. Bedtime Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack left in Beacon Hills are having trouble sleeping while they're so far away from Derek and Caitlyn's pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading hope you're enjoying! Next chapter coming when it's written - hopefully before Christmas!

**Chapter 06:** _Bedtime Stories_

  
In one of the other rooms, Theo was sitting staring out the window into the darkness he was afraid that someone had followed them. Braeden was routinely checking outside to make sure that they hadn't been followed, and that no one knew where they were. Cora was sitting with Isaac's head in her lap while he slept restlessly, and Cora couldn't work out why she didn't want to wake him to ask. After both Stiles and Derek were asleep, albeit restlessly like Isaac, Caitlyn left the room going to check on each of the members of her pack. Caitlyn had bandaged around forty percent of Derek's body, his torso, one of his arms and his eyes. 

“Theo, you okay?” Caitlyn asked walking up beside him and putting her hand on his shoulder. “Theo?”

“Yeah...I'm good,” Theo lied, he wasn't and he didn't care that he'd just lied to his alpha, he hadn't had one in a long time so he was still getting used to it.

“Theo,” Caitlyn sighed, before she pulled him into her arms and gave him a hug. “Sweetheart, there's no one out there,” 

“I know, but there could be,” Theo muttered, Caitlyn shook her head and hugged him tighter until he was hugging her back. “I miss him...”

“I know. We'll be going home soon. Derek needs to sleep in a proper bed before we get back in the car,” Caitlyn told him before she was leading him away from the window and back into Cora and Isaac. 

“Cait, what's wrong with Isaac?” Cora questioned, looking up as Caitlyn and Theo entered the living room and sat on the sofa opposite them. 

“Isaac worked in the Beacon Hills Cemetery before Derek rescued him, it's not something that needs to be discussed now,” Caitlyn replied before she was crouching down in front of Isaac who was shaking even more seemingly from a nightmare. “Isaac, wake up sweetheart,” Caitlyn carefully put her hand on Isaac's chest to stop him from jolting upright. “You're safe, I promise,” 

Isaac eyes sprung open and he started to bolt upright only to be held down by Caitlyn. Cora looked at Caitlyn and then down at Isaac and saw the terror in his eyes. Caitlyn let go of Isaac before Cora was sitting him up and pulling him into her arms. Cora kissed the side of Isaac's head and held onto him as he started shaking more, both Theo and Cora were slightly perplexed. 

“Isaac, listen to me. Do you remember what you told me the first time you had a panic attack around me?” Caitlyn questioned, putting her hand on his knee to stop him from shaking, Isaac shook his head he couldn't think straight. “That's alright,”

“Cait, what do I do?” Cora questioned before she was holding Isaac tighter as he started to squirm. 

“Sweetheart, it's okay. You're safe here,” Caitlyn said before she was swapping places with Cora and holding onto Isaac. “Core, can you check on Sti and Der?” 

“Yeah,” Cora nodded before she was cautiously walking back towards the bedroom stopping once to turn around and seeing Caitlyn sitting with both Theo and Isaac on either side of her.

“Cora, my darling niece what are you doing?” Peter questioned suddenly from where he'd been lurking in the hallway. 

“What Cait asked, look Uncle Peter I know you don't agree with her methods. But she's pack,” Cora stated as she dragged him along the hallway to where Derek and Stiles were sleeping. Cora walked in and carefully sat down on the side of the bed. “Derek said she was born pack,”

“He's right,” Peter said as he remembered being a child and his sister bringing a small child into the house, she couldn't have been more than a few months old at the time. 

Stiles sleepily looked at Cora before he was holding Derek's hand and reaching for hers. Cora smiled at him, before she looked at Peter wanting to know more. Stiles mumbled something before Peter was sitting on the chair in the corner of the room. Cora looked down at Derek and ran a hand carefully over his hair he still needed to be washed but Caitlyn didn't see to be worrying about that yet. 

“Caitlyn's mother was one of Talia's good friends, the good sheriff didn't know at the time that we were wolves. Kathleen was like us a born werewolf,” Peter was speaking quietly as he didn't think that Caitlyn would appreciate him talking about her mother. 

“Keep going Peter,” Caitlyn said from where she was sitting with Isaac and Theo curled into her sides. 

“I can only tell you what I remember,” Peter said from the chair while Caitlyn extracted herself from between the two boys.

“It’s better than nothing,” Caitlyn walked back into the bedroom before she realised that both Theo and Isaac were trailing behind her. “Come on you pair, there’s another sofa under the window,”

“Ca...it…” Derek’s voice was slightly muffled as he tried to speak before it turned into a groan and Cora was launching herself at him.

“Cora, stop!” Caitlyn hissed as she raced over to Derek remembering that she hadn’t set his arm back in place yet. “Der, it’s okay. I’m going to do it now,”

Caitlyn sat on the bed next to Derek and carefully lifted up his right arm she was going to have snap it back into place and it wasn't going to be pleasant. Caitlyn nodded to Cora who grimaced before she was gently tugging Stiles out of the way. Cora looked at Peter who rolled his eyes at his niece before he was on his feet and getting ready to hold Derek down if need be. 

“Der, this is going to hurt like a bitch,” Caitlyn said as she took the top of his right arm just under his shoulder and just above his elbow before she was giving them a sharp tug.

Derek growled before his body started convulsing so Peter jumped on him and held him down before he passed out from the bone snapping into place again, it was a long way off from healing. “Caitlyn what was that?” Peter questioned, climbing off of his nephew as he looked at Caitlyn.

“It had to be done, his arm was in the wrong position,” Caitlyn answered before she quickly put a splint on it and bandaged it up again. “Everyone get some sleep,” 

“Caitlyn, I heard growling?” Braeden said as she appeared in the bedroom door way, she'd just gotten back into the house after doing a final perimeter check. 

“She just had to put Derek's arm back into place,” Cora said from where she was still holding Stiles, who had rolled over so he was wrapped around her. “Shh, Stiles it's okay,” Cora soothed as she heard quiet whimpers coming from him. “Cait?”

“They'll be okay. But I get the feeling that some of you want a group hug right about now?” Caitlyn said before she was moving to get Derek into a sitting position and pulling him close. 

Theo, Isaac and Cora nodded before Caitlyn was motioning for Isaac and Theo to join them on the bed. Peter shook his head at them and returned to the chair to watch. Theo glanced at Stiles before he and Isaac climbed on the bed and he found himself being pulled down by a sleepy Stiles. Cora pulled Isaac down and he found himself between Cora and Derek. Caitlyn had a good hold of Derek to stop him from hurting any more. 

“Derek, we'll be leaving in the morning. I just wanted you to have one night in a bed before we're driving,” Caitlyn said as she continued to take his pain even though he was still slightly out of it.

“How are you so calm?” Isaac asked, he was listening to Caitlyn's heartbeat the entire time and it hadn't changed.

“Not calm, just in control...” Caitlyn answered, she’d learned a long time ago to control her emotions - mostly. “It’ll be a different story at home,”

“Everyone get some rest,” Peter said all of a sudden, Caitlyn looked up at him and raised her eyebrow before the older man was walking from the room.

“Peter, tell me more about my mom?” Caitlyn asked, Peter shook his head and continued walking from the room. Braeden took up the seat where Peter had been and closed her eyes. 

Back in Beacon Hills, Scott was laying in bed with Malia wrapped in his arms as they talked quietly. Chris was alone in bed after Melissa had gone into work, while Noah had taken up the couch. The two adults not sure that they were quite ready to be alone while they waited for Caitlyn to return to Beacon Hills with Derek. In fact the McCall house was full, none of the teenagers had wanted to leave for fear that they would miss hearing news about Derek. Liam was the only one that had gone home, and that was due to his mother wanting him home. 

“How long have you known about Caitlyn and Derek?” Scott asked Malia quietly as he pulled her closer to him. 

“Don't know. They smell different around each other all the time,” Malia answered, tilting her head slightly to look at Scott before she was closing her eyes. “He smells...happier...”

“Happier?” Scott questioned, no one had really seen Derek happy except for Cora when Derek found she was alive. 

“Yes, happier. Can we stop talking about my cousin and sleep?” Malia answered before she was drifting off to sleep and Scott was kissing the top her forehead and joining her. 

Downstairs, Lydia was curled up in the single sofa reading she couldn't sleep not knowing if her banshee prediction was true or not. Mason and Corey had taken up one of the other couches, Scott had told Lydia that she could take the spare room but she refused saying she'd been okay in the single sofa. Lydia looked around the room sleepily, her eyes landing on everyone. She really hoped that her banshee scream was wrong and that Derek was alive. 

“Lydia, get some sleep,” Noah yawned he couldn't sleep with the light from the lamp still lighting up the room some what. 

“I can't sheriff, not until they're home,” Lydia explained yawning a little herself as she looked at the older man. 

“Lydia. Caitlyn said that they're safe and they have Derek,” Noah told her, before looking to see what time it was while they waited. “They're not going to be back for a few days yet,” 

“So you're telling me to sleep,” Lydia grumbled, Noah nodded to her yawning again forcing the young woman to yawn. “I suppose I could do with some sleep,”

“Finally!” Mason exclaimed, he hadn't been able to sleep either, all due to the light from the lamp that Lydia was reading under. 

Lydia muttered something that no one caught but sounded like defeat. Mason curled up closer to Corey and pulled the teen into his arms. Once the light was turned off, everyone slowly drifted off to sleep with Scott keeping his ear out for anything out of the ordinary. Chris kept his gun beside his bed, just in case – it was out of habit that both Scott and Chris did what they did. 

The next morning, Caitlyn was helping Derek to sit up while the rest of the pack untangled themselves they'd all somehow managed to sleep in the one bed. Derek groaned a little as he felt around, he wasn't up for saying more than a few words if they could be considered words. Isaac was the first one up with Cora and both of them headed to the bathroom they'd seen down the hallway. 

“Everyone get showered and dressed in some clean clothes,” Caitlyn said watching as Stiles moved slightly before he was closing his eyes again. “Stiles, go shower we're leaving after breakfast,” 

“Cait,” Stiles whined, as he pulled the pillow over his head only for Theo to pull it off his head. “Theo,” Stiles grumbled, before the teen was pulling him up.

“Stiles, please shower?” Caitlyn questioned, as she held onto Derek who was starting to squirm a little. 

“Ugh, fine,” Stiles mumbled before he was being dragged into the bathroom by Theo. “I can shower myself Theo,” Theo rolled his eyes stepping out of the bathroom before closing the door behind him and moving to the window seat. 

“Derek, you okay?” Caitlyn questioned quietly as she steadied him against her. 

“No...” Derek mumbled, it was better than nothing Caitlyn guessed it was going to take him a while before he was okay. 

“I know you hate depending on people, but you're going to have to for a while,” Caitlyn told him as he rested his head against her shoulder. “I don't know how long it's going to take for you to recover,” 

Derek groaned as he moved his shoulder, quickly stopping when there was a shooting pain up his right arm. He knew that he was badly hurt, but just how bad he didn't know. He couldn't walk, and didn't know why he figured that the hunters had done something that Caitlyn couldn't find. Caitlyn took hold of Derek's hand and watched as black vein's travelled up her, before she was kissing him to calm him down. She wanted to know exactly what the hunters did to him, and that was something they would hopefully find out when they got back to Beacon Hills.


End file.
